Drawoff tensioning means for knitting machines



G. BIT ZER DRAWOFF TENSIONING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 12. 1951 Sept. 29, 1953 I3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR omob ,Bifger BY ITORNIEY Sept. 29, 1953 G. BITZER 2,653,461

\ DRAWOFF TENSIONING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 12, 1951 l5 Sheets-Sheet 2 F '1 E- .i

INVENTOR Gal-Hob Bit er M ATTORNEY Sept. 29, 1953 B|TZER 2,653,461

DRAWOFF TENSIONING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 12, 1951 15 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR A'I'I'ORNEY p 1953 G. BITZER v 2,653,461

DRAWOFF TENSIONING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 12, 1951 15 Sheet-Sheet 4 INVENTOR (5 01155012 Bit er A TI'ORNEY G. BITZER Sept. 29, 1953 DRAWOFF TENSIONING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES 15 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 12, 1951 ATTORNEY G. BITZER Sept. 29, 1953 DRAWOFF TENSIONING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 12, 1951 15 Sheets-Sheet 6 0 o b er ATTORNEY Sept. 29, 1953 cs. BlTZER 2,653,461

DRAWOFF' TENSIONING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 12, 1951 l3 Sheets-Sheet 7 PIE-.lE.

- 1 INVENTOR Gofilohfliger Y A'I'I'ORNEY G. BITZER Sept 29,

DRAWOFF TENSIONING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 12, 1951 '13 Sheets-Sheet 8 lNVENTpR Sept. 29, 1953 G. BITZER 2,653,

DRAWOFF TENSIONING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 12, 1951 13 Sheet. s-Sheet 9 INVENTOR ATTORNEY G. BITZER Sept. 29, 1953 DRAWOFF TENSIONING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES l3 Sheets-Sheet 10 Filed April 12, 1951 III I I |I -E: so

INVENTOR Gofilob ,Bii er BY 2 y Sept. 29, 1953 B|TZER 2,653,461

DRAWOFF TENSIONING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 12, 1951 13 Sheets-Sheet ll Sept. 29, 1953 G. BITZER 2,653,461

DRAWOFF TENSIONING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 12, 1951 13 Sheets-Sheet l2 INVENTOR MAMA ATTORNEY Sept. 29, 1953 G. BlTZER 2,653,461

DRAWOFF TENSIONING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 12, 1951 13 Sheets-Sheet l3 Fla-Q55- F its--57.

INV-EQNTOR ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 29, 1953 UNITED STATS rsNr orrics DRAWOFF TENSIONING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Gottlob Bitzer, Lincoln Park, Pa., assignor to Textile Machine Works, Wyomissing, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania The present invention relates to straight, or full-fashioned knitting machines, and more particularly to means for automatically performing the welting operations, the tensioning and the draw-off of the fabric in the production of flat stocking blanks, or the like.

It has been proposed to economize time in hooking up the first courses in full-fashioned multi-section knitting machines by using a fabric draw-off reel comprising a roller for holding fabric so mounted on a draw-off shaft as to permit relative rotation between the roller and the shaft. The roller is temporarily latched in fixed angular position While straps connected to a welt or hook-up bar at one end and to the draw-on shaft at the other end are unwound and moved toward the needle row for hooking up the first course and for connection to the fabric for drawoil" purposes,' the shaft then being operated to draw oii fabric for a time while the roller remains fixed. The draw-on roller is automatically unlatched from the shaft when the straps have been wound up to the same extent that they were originally unwound. Also, an arrangement has been proposed for running the hooks attached to the draw-off straps for acting on the Welt wires toward the needle rows by mechanical means. However, no means has heretofore been disclosed whereby a plurality of such draw-off rollers could be latched to the shaft at one time by mechanical means operated from a given point or station, as is highly desirable in mum-section machines. Also, in said previously proposed welt-bararrangement, the Welt bar and its drawoff straps have been pulled away from theldrawoff rollers by hand, for hooking up theloops of therefrom so as to enter guides for'leading the hooks toward the needle row, as when the straps carry the hooks for the welt rods and the welts are turned automatically, but no such means have been proposed in either of said arrangements.

his a principal object of the present invention toprovideinovcl means for economizing time in 'connecting'the' draw-ofi straps to the welt wires in a multi-sec'tion full-fashioned knitting machine.

It is an object of the invention to provide a multi-section straight knitting machine having draw-on rollers mounted on the draw-off shaft so as to revolve relatively thereto with means for latching the draw-oi rollers simultaneously in fixed position and for permitting the shaft to revolve relative to the draw-ofi rollers.

In order that a plurality of draw-01f rollers may be latched simultaneously, it has been found necessary from a practical viewpoint to move the draw-oh" shaft to a given angular position, and it is anobject of the invention to provide means for setting the draw-oil rollers or draw-oil shaft positively in a given angular position to facilitate simultaneous latching of the draw-off rollers in fixed position.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for locking the draw-off rollers each to one of certain members on the draw-cit shaft and in a given angular position relative to such member and therefore to the draw-off shaft. 11

Another object of the invention is to provide unitary means for both positioning a plurality of draw-oil? rollers in a given angular position and for latching the draw-off rollers in such position.

. Still another object of the invention is to provide means adapted to throw out of action a pawl for a draw-off means at the same time the draw-off rollers are released from the means for latching them in a given angular position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel, convenient, reliable and simple means whereby the draw-off shaft may be brought to a given angular position and latched in such position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a reliable means for holding the drawon rollers latched and for latching the draw-cit shaft when the straps have been run out to the desired extent, and for automatically controlling the unlatching of the draw-off rollers and shaft.

It is now common practice to hook up and/or turn the welts of full-fashioned stockings automatically and it is another object of the invention to provide a novel means whereby a device for moving welt wire draw-on hooks into position for engaging a welt wire and for holding the hooks in such position for a time is coordinated with a hooking-up and/or welt turning mechanism.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a simple and reliable means for coordinatin latchin and unlatching of the draw-off shaft with latching and unlatching of the draw-off rollers relative to the draw-off shaft.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel and reliable means for shifting the drive of the main draw-01f shaft from one motive means to another.

It has been found that, in a knitting machine having the different means mentioned for unlocking and locking the draw-off rollers, for running the hooks for the welt wires toward the needles and for latching the draw-off shaft and unlatching it, a maximum economy of time will be achieved by placing the operating or controlparts of the various means all at a station where they are convenient to an operator near said station. It is therefore a further object of the present invention to provide a knitting machine with a station for the operator having one or more operating and control parts thereat.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent from the following detailed description of the illustrative and practical embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, the invention comprises the novel elements, features of construction and combinations of parts in cooperative relationship, as hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional elevational view taken on a vertical plane intermediate the ends of a fullfashioned knitting machine within the invention, parts being omitted and parts being shown in section for purposes of illustration;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in plan showing a knitting section of the machine of Fig. 1 and enlarged relative thereto, the parts being shown as they appear after a portion of a stocking welt has been knitted and a welt wire placed on the fabric;

Fig. 3 is an elevational View, with parts in section, of a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, and drawn on a somewhat larger scale, relative to Fig. 2, the parts being shown in the positions shortly before putting a draw-off tension on the welt wires and while the draw-ofi rollers are latched;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the parts just after the welt bar has been moved to an intermediate or half-way position and a draw-011 tension applied to the welt wire, the draw-off rollers still being latched;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Figs. 4 and 5 but showing the parts in the positions assumed after the welt bars have been disconnected from the fabric and the draw-off rollers unlatched and reconnected to their shaft;

Fig. 7 is a sectional detail view taken substantially along the line 1-? of Fig. 2 of a welt bar and one of the pusher pins for moving the bar, the view illustrating the positions of the parts before the pin has come into position to move the bar;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. '7 but showing the pusher pin in position to operate the welt bar;

Fig. 9 is a sectional detail view of draw-off rollers and latching means taken substantially on the line 9-9 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary view looking in the direction of the arrows Ill-l0 on Fig. 2, partly in front elevation and partly in sectional elevation;

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 10, but with certain of the parts in different relative positions;

Fig. 12 is a fragmantary sectional view taken substantially on the line IZ-IZ of Fig. 11 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 13 is a detail view in sectional elevation taken substantially on the line Iii-I3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary sectional elevation taken substantially on the line M-hi of Fig. 2;

Fig. 15 is a sectional elevation taken substantially on the line l5-l5 of Fig. 14 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 16 is a sectional detail view taken substantially on the line 16-16 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 17 is a front elevational view of a portion of the mechanism shown at the upper right hand of Fig. 1 and enlarged relative thereto, certain of the parts being broken away and others being shown in section for purposes of illustration;

Fig. 18 is a detail view of a portion of Fig. 17 with certain of the parts being shown in different positions relative to Fig. 17, and others being broken away for purposes of illustration;

Fig. 19 is a plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 17;

Fig. 20 is a detail view taken in the direction of the arrows 20-20 of Fig. 17;

Fig. 21 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 20 with certain of the parts being shown in different relative positions;

Fig. 22 is an elevational view taken from the left of Fig. 1'7;

Fig. 23 is a fragmentary detail view of a portion of Fig. 22, the parts shown being, however, in different positions than in Fig. 22;

Fig. 24 is a sectional detail view taken substantially on the line 24-24 of Fig. 23, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 25 is a sectional detail view taken substantially on the line 25-25 of Fig. 17, looking in the direction of the arrows, parts being omitted for purposes of illustration;

Fig. 26 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on the line 26-26 of Fig. 25, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 27 is a view similar to Fig. 25, the parts being shown, however, in different relative positions;

Fig. 28 is a sectional view taken along the line 28-28 of Fig. 27;

Fig. 29 is a sectional detail view taken substantially on the line 29-29 of Fig. 17, looking in the direction of the arrows, certain of the parts being shown in different positions in dotand-dash outline;

Fig. 30 is an elevational view taken from the right of Fig. 1, parts being omitted for purposes of illustration, and showing particularly, parts of a weight motor for turning the draw-off shaft in the draw-off direction and parts of a spring motor for the same purpose together with parts of a means for automatically changing the drive of the shaft from the weight motor to the spring motor;

slightly smaller scale than Fig. 30, parts being broken away for purposes of illustration;

Fig-34 is a detail view on a smaller scale taken substantially along the line 34-34 of Fig. 30, parts being broken away and parts being omitted for purposes of illustration;

Fig. 35 is a fragmentary detail view taken substantially along the line 35-35 of Fig. 32, parts in front of the section line being shown in dotand-dash outline;

Fig. 36 is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale of a portion of Fig. 33, parts being broken away for purposes of illustration;

- Fig. 37 is a detail view of certain levers and cooperating parts shown in Fig. 36, the view being taken from the right of Fig. 36'; Fig. 38 is a View of certain parts in Fig. 36, certain of the parts being shown in different positions relative to Fig. 36 and others being further broken away and shown in section for purposes of illustration;

' Fig. 39 is a view similar to Figs. 36 and 38 with the parts being shown in different positions relative thereto; and

Fig. 40 is a detail view of certain parts shown in Fig. 3'7 and taken from the right of said figure.

In the drawings and description, only the means necessary to a complete understanding of the invention are specifically set forth; further information as to the construction and operation of other related, usual and well known knitting machine elements, mechanisms, etc., may be found in one or more of the following publications: 1. Pamphlet entitledFull-Fashioned Knitting Machines-published and copyrighted by the Textile Machine Works, Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1920. f 2. Four catalogs entitledThe Reading Full- Fashioned Knitting Machine Parts Catalog-- published and copyrighted by the Textile Machine Works, in 1929, 1935, 1940 and 1947, respectively. 3. Booklet entitledThe Reading High Production Full-Fashioned Knitting Machinewhich, forming a supplement to the above noted 1940 Parts Catalog of the Textile Machine Works, is a publication of the Textile Machine Works, copyrighted by the latter in 1940.

i. Pamphlet entitledKnitting Machine Leo tures--published by the Wyomissing Polytechnic Institute, Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, in 1935.

An apparatus of the invention provides means whereby a draw-off shaft for a plurality of knitting sections, together with draw-off rollers or reels for said sections normally locked to members on the shaft all in a given angular relation to their said members, may be set in a desired angular position, thereby permitting all the draw-off reels to be unlocked from the shaft at one time. The invention further permits the draw-off reels all to be latched against rotation at substantially the same time. Unlocking the draw-off reels from the shaft and latching them against rotation may be accomplished simultaneously by a unitary device although it is within the invention to carry out these acts successively and by separate means. The draw-off means within the invention preferably includes an auxiliary draw-01f shaft which acts at the time of hooking up the first course of a fabric and for a relatively short portion of the time required for knitting a blank. It also includes a main drawoff shaft which has pairs of straps attached thereto at their one ends, said straps carrying at their other ends hooks for engaging the welt rods or wires used in drawing off the fabric blanks during the knitting of a portion of the welt and also during the knitting of the greater portion of the fabric after the fabric has once been folded over the welt wires and the welts have been turned. In operation, the fabric drawoff reels having been unlocked from the draw-off shaft and then latched in a given fixed position, the main draw-off shaft is turned to unwind the straps from the shaft whereby the hooks are pushed toward the needles to a definite point. When the hooks reach this point the turning of the shaft is positively stopped and the shaft locked for a. time. The welt wires having been put into position, the main draw-01f shaft may then be unlocked and said hooks drawn forward to engage the welt wires by means acting on the shaft to draw-off the fabric.

Although not essential to certain aspects of the invention, preferably the unlocking of the main draw-off shaft is done automatically and by means coordinated with a combined means for hooking-up the first course of loops and for turning the welt. Assuming the knitting machine is equipped with a hooking-up and/or a welt turning means, it is preferred not only that the drawoff shaft be unlocked by the welt turning means but that the draw-off means be of a type having a plurality of motive means. By the time sufficient fabric has been knitted to wind the straps back on said draw-off shaft to the point at which they were when the draw-off rollers were unlocked from the shaft, the operation of the draw-01f shaft is taken over automatically by a motive means other than that in action at the time the draw-off tension is first applied to the Welt wires, a novel change over means for this purpose being used in the arrangement disclosed herein. Preferably, said change over from one motive means to another comes sometime before the draw-off rollers are unlatched and reconnected to the draw-off shaft.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, a portion of a full-fashioned knitting machine 59 is shown in Fig. 1. Machine 53 comprises a frame 5! which includes a series of transverse frames F rigidly connected by longitudinally extending front beam A, a back beam B, a center bed 0 and a front bed or table I. The machine 5!) also includes a cam shaft S and a usual and well known pattern means, not shown, for automatically controlling certain functions of the machine. Also on frame 51 are mounted a plurality of similar knitting sections one of which is shown at 52 (Fig. 2). Section 52 includes a row of spring beard needles 53 and the machine includes means whereby yarn is laid on the beard side of the needles of each knitting section and is sunk between the needles by sinkers and dividers D to form loops to be knitted thereby. Mechanisms for these purposes are well known and will not be further referred to in detail. However, it is the general practice to knit straight or full-fashioned hosiery initially as flat fabric blanks and to begin a new blank for each stocking. Therefore, when yarn is laid to the needles of a knitting section for the first course of a blank, a welt hook bar is employed (Fig. 2), the hooks 54 of which are engaged with the yarn of the first course and the bar put under a drawoff tension to knit the first part or welt of the stocking. After a certain amount of fabric has been knitted itis the custom to turn the welt,

that is to restore the first course to the needles, to form a two ply fabric and to lock. the, lo ps of the. first course. The section 52 is shown as in. eluding a portion of an automatic hook-up and welt turner of a type shown in my prior Patent No. 2,413,651, issued December 31, 1946. As is generally the case when the welt is turned automatically, the loops of the first course in each section are hooked. up or engaged automatically by the. hooks 54% on the welt bar -55 in the arrangement shown. For this purpose the welt bar 55 is advanced automatically at about the time the loops of the first course are divided by the usual dividers so that the loops are pulled down onto hooks when the needles draw the loops off the ends of the sinkers and dividers.

The means in the arrangement shown for ad.- vancing the bar 55 for hooking up the first course comprises levers 55 which have arms 51 pivoted thereon and extending from their pivots towar the needle rows, the end of each arm 57 farther from levers as being forked as shown in Fig. 2 and having a pin 59 therein which extends across a rail 58, there being one pair of each of levers 55, arms '57, pins as and rails 58 for each knitting section. Pins 59 slide on the tops of rails 58 and, intermediate the ends of the outer prongs of arms 5? and the outer vertical sides of rails 58, pins 59 pass through sliders 59 which slide in contact with the outer vertical faces of the rails 58 (Fig. 16) and have inturned flanges 38 at their lower edges which extend into horizontal slots 4'! which extend longitudinally of rails 58. Sliders 59 thereby resist any tendency which may arise at times for the arms 5? to lift pins 59 from rails 58. Sliders 59 also have extensions 46 fixed to their upper edges along the parts thereof nearer the needle row, extensions 46 being bent over so that they project laterally from the bodies of the sliders above the ends of the welt bars 55 to prevent the welt bars from tilting when being pushed toward the needles. The prongs at the ends of levers '57 are formed to provide fiat heads d5 one head contacting one side of the rail and the other head contacting the slider G9, to prevent movement of pins 59 laterally of rails 58. Pins 59 of each pair project laterally toward. each other beyond the inner rongs of levers 58 and are adapted to engage in sockets in members 60 fixed to the bar 55 near its ends, as shown in Fig. 2. The socket es of each member 68, shown in Figs. 4 to 8, inclusive, is adapted to resiliently engage a substantial portion of the circumference of the pin 59 and provides a releasable connection between the pin es and the member 55. At the desired time, levers 5e are turned in the direction to move pins 59 toward the needle row so as to push bar against a stop to position the welt hooks between the needles to receive the loops of the first course. After the loops of the first course have been received on hooks 5 the levers 55 are turned in the opposite direction to withdraw pins 59 away from the needle row, this action, due to the resilient connection between the pins 58 and sockets as, also withdrawing the bar toengage the hooks with the newly formed loops and providing an initial tension on the loops until the draw-off means acts thereon. Continned movement of the levers 56 to their in active position breaks the connection between the sockets Q9 and pins 59. For turning levers 56, a shaft it is provided to which they are fixed,

, shaft it being turned automatically to the degrees needed at desired times by means forming no part of the present invention but which may be Such as that used for the purpose in said Patent No. 2,413,601.

In the. arrangement shown, the draw-off means which is first active includes a strap 6| (Fig. 2) for each welt bar shown as connected at one end to the center of the bar. The other end of each strap 6| is connected to a drum 62 connected to an auxiliary shaft 63 which is operated by a weight (not shown) at the end of the ma-. chine which is at the left when the observer faces the needle row.

After knitting has begun, the main draw-off shaft is first set in a given angular position for purposes hereinafter set forth, and is then turned to advance hooks 64, for drawing-off fabric by means of welt wires, a pair of hooks 64 being provided for each knitting section. The means for determining the initial position of the shaft 65 include a disk 66 (Figs. 22 and 23) on the shaft 65, disk 66 having an arcuate recessed surface 61. A cam piece 63 has an arcuate active face 19 adapted to be registered with surface 61. Cam piece 63 is mounted on an arm 59 fixed to a shaft 10 having a hand lever thereon. Piece 68 has a slot 'il therein extending generally radially of shaft 65. Pins 12 fixed to arm 69 extend through slot ll (Fig. 24) whereby piece 68 is permitted to slide on arm 69 somewhat radially of shaft H1 when piece 68 passes from a position above disk 66 to one below it. A spring 13 connected to the piece 68 and one of the pins l2 acts to yieldingly press piece 68 outward from shaft 10. A spring M (Fig. 22) acts to turn shaft 10 in a direction to carry arm 69 down from the position shown in Fig. 22 to that shown in dotand-dash outline in Fig. 29 so that piece 58 will generally lie below the position occupied by it in Fig. 23. When it is desired to move arm 69 and piece 68 from their positions below the shaft 65 and disk 66 and to place shaft 65 in a predetermined angular position as shown in Fig. 23, the handle or lever 15 is pressed toward the left from the dot-and-dash outlined position as viewed in Fig. 29 to lift piece 68. In general, the disk 66 will not be in said predetermined position and, as piece 68 rises, the upper corner 76 of piece 68 will strike against the circular portion of disk 66 and prevent further movement of handle 15. While maintaining the parts in this position the shaft 65 is manually turned until corner 16 engages surface 61. Whereupon with continued movement of handle 15, the shaft 65 is turned until it is positioned as shown in Fig. 23 and draw-off rollers or reels l1 (Figs. 9 and 10), releasably connected to the shaft 65 at this time, are also predeterminedly positioned with the shaft 65 for purposes hereinafter set forth.

For disconnecting draw-off reels H from shaft 65 and also for latching them in the positions each assumed when shaft 65 was brought to said predetermined position, shaft in has fixed thereon a set of arms i8, one of which appears in Figs. 9 and 10 and each of which has a wedge or cam member 80 fixed thereon which is adapted when shaft 65 is in said predetermined position to enter a longitudinal slot 8! in a draw-off reel 11. It is evident that the reels should be held so that each slot BI is in a given angular position to permit wedge or cam member Bil to enter the slot and for this purpose a locking device such as 32 is provided intermediate each draw-01f reel Ti and shaft 65. Each lock 82 is shown as comprising a locking member or bolt 33 mounted partly in an outwardly pressed groove 84 in shell portion 3'! of the draw-off reel 1i and partly in the outer cylindrical portion of an end disk 88 to which shell 81 may be riveted as shown or otherwise suitably fastened. Disk 88 has a central section serving as a journal for the draw-off reel. Each bolt 83 is urged outwardly, that is to the left as viewed in Figs. 10 and 11, by a spring 85 formed by a U-shaped loop of wire (Fig. 9), the bridge of the U of said spring lying in contact with an up-turned part 89 at the inner end of bolt 83 while the ends of spring 65 embrace shaft 65 and are fixed in disk 88. When free to move under the influence of spring 85, the outer end of bolt 83 enters a slot 86 in an annular flange 90, see Fig. 12, which projects outwardly from a cylindrical member 9I which is shown as lying principally within a cylindrical extension 92 which projects axially of shaft 65 from the outer face of disk 88.

Cylindrical member 9I is mounted on the outer cylindrical race of a ball bearing 93 so that the outer race and member 9| may turntogether, the inner race of the ball bearing 93 being fitted to shaft 65 so that the inner race turns with the shaft. Further, the flange 90 of member 9I is provided with pins 94 projecting therefrom parallel to shaft 65. For connecting part 9I to the shaft 65, the pins 94 extend into segmental notches 95 in the circumferential edge of a disk member 96 fixedto shaft 65 to revolve therewith as shown in Fig. 13. Springs 91 are connected between pins 94 and pins 92 fixed to the member 96, providing a resilient connection between the part 9I and disk member 96. The springs 91lie in cut-away portions I93 of the member 556, Notches 95 have bottom surfaces I04 and end walls I96, the end walls limiting the relative movement between the cylindrical member 9| and disk member 96. With this arrangement the angular relation between the member 96 and member 9I, or'between the member. 95 and the draw-off changed to a limited extent permitting the springs 61 to compensate for any slight differences in the lengths of the loops formed on the different knitting sections of the machine withoutsubstantially varying the tension in the fabrics in such knitting sections.

The locking members 83 are slotted as shown at I so as to receive one of the operating wedges or cams 80. As is clear from Figs. 9 and 10, the shell 81 of the draw-off reel and the disk member 83 are both slotted in radial alinement with the slot I00 so that wedge 80 can move radially into the interior of reel 11 far enough to effect an unlocking movement of bolt 03. Thisoccurs as the handle 15 is pushed to its extreme position in the counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 22.

As is best shown in Fig. 9, each arm 18 is journalled on shaft and is moved in the direction to cause its wedge 80 to unlock draw-01f roller by a resilient connection to shaft 10 furnished by a spring IOI connected between a pin I02 on arm 18 and lug or hook I03 on a collar I04 fixed to shaft 10. Therefore, if the draw-off rollers are not in position for the tips of wedges 80 to be received in the slots I00 of bolts 83, and the wedges are against the draw-off rollers, no damage will result from a continued turning of shaft 10 because springs IOI will yield. The springs will, however, press the wedges 80 into the slots I00 to unlock the draw-off rollers as soon as the rollers have been turned into the required angular position. When shaft 10' is turned in the opposite direction to withdraw vwedge members 80 from the draw-off rollers, a

lug l05 on collar I04 engages a pin I06 on arm 18 so that the arm is moved positively with the shaft 10.

' As the handle 15 is pushed to its extreme position in the counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figs. 22 and 23, not only does shaft 10'move each wedge 80 to its extreme position to release the draw-off rollers from the shaft and to latch them against turning, but it moves arm 69 to a position shown in Fig. 22 in which cam piece 68 is out of contact with the arcuate recess 61. While this final movement of handle 15 and shaft 10 is taking place, a Wedge I01 at the outer and lower end of arm 69 is moved up so as to operate a latch to hold arm 69 and shaft 10 stationary for a while to retain the draw-off rollers in latched position. As best shown in Figs. 1'1, 18 and 29 said latch for shaft 10 comprises a generally vertical latch lever I08 mounted to turn on a bolt I09 lying above and at right angles to shaft 65, bolt I09 being fixed in a part rigid with the machine frame. Lever I08 is cut out between its axis and its lower end to provide a recess 0 having a reentrant inclined surface II I at its upperend complemental to the surface of wedge I01 and adapted to be engaged by such surface of wedge I01 as it rises so as to swing the lower end of lever I08 toward the lever 69. The cut-out in lever I00 also provides a shoulder II2 which acts as a latch for arm 69. That is, as'the lower end of lever I08 moves toward the arm 69, due to the interaction-of wedge I01 and the undercut surface I I I of recess I I0, the shoulder; 1 l2 passesbeneath arm 69. As the pressure on handle 15 is relaxed, the spring 14 connected to the lever 15 draws the shaft back so that arm 69'rests on shoulder II2 as best shown in Fig. 17, thereby latching shaft 10 in the position shown in Fig. 29.

When; as described above, the reels 11 have been unlocked from shaft and the lever 15 and cam piece68 latched in the position of Fig. 22 so that thecam piece will not interfere with disk 66 on the shaft 65, the shaft 65 may be turned in the direction opposite to that in which it revolves in'drawing off fabric until a shoulder II5 on a disk I I6(Figs. 20 and 21) fixed on the shaft 65 at the right hand end thereof as viewed in Fig. 11, comes into contact with a driving pawl ,I I 1 on a driving sheave wheel IIB journalled on shaft 65 just inside thedisk II6. Pawl H1 is pivoted on wheel H8, and a spring II9, having its ends connected to the pawl and to wheel II8 respectively, urges pawl II1 toward the disk II6 whereby the pawl II1 contacts the shoulder H5 asthe shaft 65 is turned. Upon engagement of the pawl and shoulder, wheel II8 turns with the shaft. Turning shaft 65 and wheel I I 8 winds up a rope I20 on the wheel, one end of which is fixed to the wheel I I8 and the other end of which is fixed to a weight W (Fig. l) which is adapted to act, after rope I20 has been wound up .a certain amount, to turn shaft 65 in the draw-off direction during a portion of the time taken to knit a stocking blank. The shaft 65 is turned to wind the rope I20 upon the wheel II8 by a pinion I2I which is engageable with a gear I22 fixed to'shaft 65. As shown in Fig. 17, pinion I2I is formed at the inner end of an elongated hub I23 which is mounted to revolve on an axle I24 the left end of which, as viewed in Fig. 1'7,'is .fixed in a portion of the frame. Hub I23 is not only rotatable on axle I24 but may move axially thereof to a point defined by a head I25 at the right or free outer end of axle I24. Hub I23 has sockets I26 and I21 respectively at its outer and inner ends. Spring I28 surrounding axle I24 between a frame part I29 and the face of socket I2'I normally presses hub I23 to a point at which head I engages the inner face of socket I26. This position of the parts is shown in Fig. 17 and is one in which pinion I2I is disengaged from gear I22. The hub I23 is also provided with a crank arm I3I to which a handle I30 is pivoted. In order to wind up rope I20, therefore, the operative presses on the handle I30 on the crank I3I at the outer end of hub I23 to move the teeth of pinion I2I into engagement with those on gear I 22 and then turns the crank to turn the shaft 65 and wheel I I 8 as hereinbefore set forth.

At the time rope I 20 and its weight are wound up, shaft 65 is necessarily turned in a direction opposite to that in which it moves when drawing off fabric and this fact is made use of in the arrangement shown to move the hooks 64 toward the needles 53 into position for engagement with and for drawing off a welt wire I36. For this purpose each hook 64 is attached to one end of a semi-rigid strap like member I33 which is provided with openings I42 for engagement with round projecting heads of a series of spaced pins I carried on the cylindrical member 9|, this arrangement providing a sprocket-like drive for winding the straps upon the member SI, for .1

moving the hooks 64 in the take-off direction and for unwinding the straps from the member 9| when advancing the hooks 64 in the position shown in Fig. 14. The extension 92 of disk 88 and shell 81 of the draw-off reel 1'! is provided with an aperture I4I, as shown in Fig. 14, to permit passage of the strap I33 during the winding or unwinding action. The disk 88 is also provided with a shouldered portion I31 and a rivetlike member I38 (Fig. 10) adjacent the aperture I4I for preventing the strap I33 from uncoiling and breaking during engagement with the pins I 40 when the strap is wound upon the member 9I and no tension is applied thereto.

In order to guide the straps I33 in advancing the hooks 64 to the position of Fig. 14, a guide I43 is provided for each strap and supported from the rail 58 by means of plate members I39. As shown in Fig. 15, the guide I43 for each strap I33 is of a shallow somewhat box-like conformation in cross-section, the top of the guide structure being slotted at I44 to permit the hook 64 to travel along the guide. In order to stiffen the straps I33, each one preferably isrolled 'so that it has a transverse curve or bow when free from member 9!, as shown in Fig. 15, the interior of guide I43 affording sufiicient space vertically for the bowing of the straps. The bowing of the straps stiifens it against thrust in the direction of its length. However, the invention is not limited to transversely curved straps in all cases. Straps I33 as shown are made of sheet metal, but any material adapted to transmit the necessary thrust to the hooks 64 may be used.

In order to prevent, when turning handle I30, the hooks 64 from running too far toward the needle row and especially to prevent the hooks from interfering with the needles, means is provided within the invention whereby the movement of hooks 64 toward the needles is stopped at a definite point. For this purpose, shaft 65 has a disk I45 fixed thereon which has a generally rectangular or channel shaped notch I46 therein, as shown in Figs. 25 and 27. Notch I46 is so located that when hooks 64 have reached a desired point, notch I46 is in position to be engaged by an upturned latch finger I41 at one end, the right end as shown in Fig. 25, of a lever I45 which is pivoted near its middle on shaft I9. A spring I6I (shown in Fig. 19) acts on lever I43 to urge finger I41 into notch I46 and thereby lock shaft 65 in the position shown in Fig. 25. In order, however, that lever I48 may not lock shaft 65 at undesired times, lever I48 is normally latched so that its finger M1 is held out of engagement with notch I46. For this purpose, an auxiliary latch lever I49 is provided which, as shown in Figs. 25 to 28 inclusive, is

mounted to swing in a vertical plane at right I angles to the plane of movement of lever I48. As shown, lever I49 depends from a hub I50 pivoted on the shank of a bolt I5I mounted on a plate I52 which is fixed to the frame of the machine (Figs. 19 and 22). When finger I4! is engaged with notch I46, lever I49 is held against the side of lever I48 as shown in Fig. 26 by a spring I55 (Fig. 19) so that lever I49 will snap into the position shown in Figs. 2'7 and 28 in which lever I43 is latched in inoperative position, after lever I48 is moved to unlatch shaft 95 in a way which will hereinafter appear.

In order to control the movements of auxiliary latch lever I49 and to properly coordinate its movements with those of shaft 65 and hooks 64, the spring I55 is included in a control device I56 which also includes the lever I06.

Spring I55 is shown as connected at one end to the upper end of the lever I08 and at its other end to a pin I58 (Figs. 17 and 18-) fixed intermediate the ends of an arm I59 which is fixed at one end to hub I50 (Fig. 22) to which auxiliary latch lever I49 is also fixed. Also included in said means I56 is a traveller I60 shown as a disk mounted on a pin or shaft I5! and 'slidable lengthwise of the pin. 'One end of pin I5! is fixed to the latch lever I03 while the other end is free except that it is guided in a channel portion I63 at the lower right hand corner of plate I52 as viewed in Fig. 25. Now when latch lever I08 is in the position shown in Fig. 1.8 in which arm 69 is unlatched, the outer or free end of pin I51 is elevated and traveller I60 is held out of contact with a worm I64 on shaft 65 by "which the traveller I60 is moved along its pin I51 for purposes which will presently appear. At the beginning of a cycle, the parts in question are in the position shown in Fig. 18 in which lever I08 and pin I51 are turned counterclockwise as far as possible. In these positions, traveller I60 lies above the left end of worm I64 and extends into a recess I65 in plate I52. When, however, shaft 65 has been turned into position such that. cam piece 68 can enter recessed surface '61 to turn the shaft to the desired position and arm 69 then raised, wedge I61 turns lever I08 to the vertical position and thereby brings pin I51 horizontal while 'disk I60 is brought down into the groove of worm I64, parts I08 and I5! being then latched to remain in this position fora while by engagement of shoulder M2 on lever I06 with the underside of arm 69, as previously described. Disk I60 being in the groove of worm I64, the disk is pushed along in the direction from left to right as viewed in Fig. 17 by the worm as shaft 65 is turned to move hooks 64 'toward the needles. At this time the auxiliary latch lever I49 is in the latching position shown in Figs. 27 and '28, latch finger I4! is in the position in which it will not interfere with turning shaft 65, and arm I59, which is rigid with the hub I56, is in the position shown in Fig. 18. As disk I66 moves along the worm I64, its upper edge contacts the lower end of arm I59 and moves it to the position shown in Fig. 1'1, thereby releasing lever I48 from auxiliary latch lever I49. This occurs just as hooks 64 are approaching the ends of their paths toward the needles and consequently the finger I41 rises into latching engagement with disk I45 and engages notch I46 almost immediately afterward, thus stopping the shaft 65. At this time, latch levers I43 and I49 are in the positions shown in Figs. 25 and 26 while hooks 64 are in the position shown in Fig. 14. i

In the meantime, the machine has been knitting the welt fabric and as soon as the hooks 64 have been run toward the needles, a welt wire I36 is placed on top of the fabric and its ends inserted in slots I66 in the rails 53 in position preparatory to. its engagement with hooks 64 and also to turning the welt. The slots serve to guide the welt wire during a part of its takeoff movement, as shown in Figs, 4, l4 and 15. To facilitatethe placing of the welt wires in slots I66, a means is shown which preferably includes substantially U-shaped members I16 (Fig. 15) having leg portions HI and I12 and cross-pieces or bridge portions I13 at their lower ends. The rails 53 of each knitting section have'inclined slots in the facing vertical sides thereof, one such slot being shown at I14. The legs I12 lie in the slots I14, while the legs "I contact the opposite vertical sides of the rails 58. Rails 58 have projections I15 with lower ends at right angles to the edges of the slots I14. Each bridge portion I13 is adapted to contact the lower end of a projection I15 to limit the movement of a member I16 upwardly in its slot. Normally each member I16 is pressed upwardly in its slot I14 by a compression spring I16 which surrounds the shank of a bolt I11 which extends through an aperture in the bridge portion I13 and is threaded into projection I15 (Fig. l). Each spring I16 thrusts at one end against the bottom of a socket sunk in a bridge portion I13 and at the other end against the head of its bolt I11. The upper end of each leg I12 of U-members I is cut off on a line inclined downwardly as shown at I18 to provide a notch or recess at the upper end of each slot I1 1 into which a welt wire I36 may be readily inserted. Then by pressing down on such wire the spring I16 is compressed to permit the ends of the welt wire to move downward along the edges of slots I 14 into the longitudinal slots I66. As is best shown in Fig. 15, each leg I12 of a U-member I11] is slotted as shown at 519 to afford a connecting slot between the sections of the slot I66 on each side of member I16. Therefore, when once a Wire I36 has entered slot I66 and springs I16, being thereby released, have returned the members I16 to the position shown in Figs. 14 and 15, the wire can be moved toward the hooks 64 to the extent desired. As shown in Figs. 4 and 14, an end of the wire has been brought to rest in the slot I19 of a U-member I16, a short distance infront of hooks 64.

During the time the hooks 64 and the welt wires I36 have been positioned as in Figs. 4 and 14, the machine has been knitting a portion of the Welt fabric and, assuming that the machine has a welt turning mechanism according to said Patent No. 2,413,601, the welt turning mechanism vis usually operated soon after the wires have been put in position to movethewelt bars partway "14 back toward the needles from the point they had reached, and to hold the welt bars in such intermediate or half-way position for a time. The positions of the hooks 64, wires I36 and welt turner parts involved just prior to moving the bar 55 to said half-way position are shown in Fig. 4 and the position of the parts as the bar arrives in said half-way position are shown in Fig. 5. As is clear from the drawings, each welt wire is held by members 516 at a level below the plane of the welt hooks 53. Therefore, when the welt bar is pushed rearwardly toward the needle row, the welt hooks carry the fabric edge attached thereto above the welt wire to form a fold in r thefabric preparatory to turning the welt and,

at the same time, draw the loops of the first course away from the hooked ends of members 54 and against pusher members I provided, as

shown, on the shanks of hooks 5 3. Having arrived at the half-way position, the bars 55 are latched there until it is time to turn the welt.

The movement of the welt bars 36 to the halfway position involves a partial rotation of shaft 44. Shaft 44 has a cam I86 thereon (Figs. 25 and 2'1) adapted to act on lever M3. As the shaft 44 moves the bars 55 toward the needle row, cam I66 turns from the position shown in Fig. 25 to that shown in Fig. 2'7 thereby moving lever M3 to withdraw finger I41 from the notch I46 in disk I and permitting draw-off shaft 65 to turn due to the torque produced by Weighted rope I26. Each pair of straps I33 is thereby tensioned to draw hooks 64 forwardly away from the needle row and to engage the hooks 64 with the welt wires I36. After knitting has proceeded for a while after the hooks 64 are first moved, the shaft 44 and welt bar 65 remaining stationary in the meantime, hooks 64 will have assumed the position shown in Fig. 5 in which the welt wire is on the other side of the bar from the needle row, the loops of the first course being forward away from the welt hooks and against pusher members I85. When the welt fabric is completed shaft 44 is operated to push bar 55 toward the needles until it strikes a stop I61 (Fig. 3) at which time the hooks 64 project the maximum distance between the needles, the first courses of loops being then automatically returned to the needles while the hooks are in this position. The knitting then continues with draw-off torque being applied by shaft 65. The straps 6! are released from the welt bars 55 and the bars unhooked from the fabric and placed in their most forward position in engagement with pins 59, after which the straps 6I are again attached to the welt bars in the usual manner, so that they stand in readiness for the beginning of another cycle.

After straps 6| have been disconnected, draw off tension continues to be applied to the fabric through shaft 65 by rope I26 until hooks as have been returned to positions in juxtaposition to the draw-off rollers 11 as shown in Fig. 6. By this time, it is necessary to release the draw-off rollers 11 from members 8%. This is accomplished by releasing arm 69 from latching shoulder H2, an operation accomplished by means I56 as previously described. While the machine has been knitting fabric under the influence of rope I26, the shaft 65 has been revolving in the direction. of arrow B in Fig. 2'7 and worm I66 has consequently been turning in the direction to move disk I66 to the left as viewed in Fig. 1'1. By the time hooks 64 have reached a position next to the draw-off rollers, or just before this point, Din I51 

